1913 temperature from Death Valley now claims top spot

SACRAMENTO, CA - Death Valley, California is known for its extreme heat. It holds the all-time record high for the United States and now it holds the world record.

The hottest temperature didn't occur today in the midst of this late summer heat. It actually occurred on July 10, 1913 when Death Valley hit a high temperature of 134 degrees.

The previous record was held by El Azizia, Libya when the thermometer hit 136 degrees at an Italian army base. Several pieces of documentation didn't add up to the extreme reading though and had long been debated.

After an in-depth investigation, meteorologists at the World Meteorological Organization felt there was enough persuading evidence to overturn the previous record.